So, the Vegas Golden Knights fell to the Washington Capitals in the NHL Finals. However, even though the Stanley Cup won’t be making its way back to Vegas, the fact remains that the Golden Knights marketing team has achieved royalty status in the team’s inaugural NHL season.

4 Ways the Golden Knights Marketing Team Scored Big

1. Branding

Even at a quick glance the Vegas Golden Knights brand name and logo sound and look really cool, no doubt about it. What you may not realize, though, is that there are few small subtleties that actually make them meaningful to Nevada and the Sin City:

In our opinion, it would have been pretty lazy of the creative department to cop out and name the team something gambling-related. Props to them for creating a truly unique brand!

Check out this great video about the creation of the Golden Knights brand and logo:

2. Social Media

Before the players even hit the ice, the Golden Knights marketing team started sharpening the brand’s social media presence with a combination of sarcasm, pop culture references and team-related news.

The content and voice leveraged by the Golden Knights social media team are perfect for fostering fan interaction: references appealed to younger, meme-savvy followers, but weren’t so obscure that they alienated older fans.

3. The Game Experience

Ultimately, the game experience provided by the Golden Knights franchise is the product they’re selling. And they did an incredible job developing that product.

The opening ceremony of Game 1 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, was the equivalent of a miniature Broadway Show. We won’t waste words describing it. Just watch it below.

In addition to arguably the most amazing opening ceremony in NHL history, there’s plenty more to look forward to at Golden Knights games: